CN101061478B - Method and system for identifying web document - Google Patents

Abstract

A system that identifies a document, performs a search to identify web documents related to attributes associated with the document, and provides information associated with the web documents and the document.

Description

Method and system for identifying web documents

technical field

Systems and methods consistent with the principles of the present invention relate generally to information retrieval and, more specifically, to providing information related to a particular document. the

Background technique

Modern computer networks, especially the Internet, make vast amounts of information widely and easily available. For example, free Internet search engines index thousands of web documents linked to the Internet. A user connected to the Internet can enter a simple search query to quickly locate web documents relevant to the search query. the

However, one category of content that is not widely available on the Internet includes more traditional printed works of authors, such as books and magazines. An impediment to making these works available digitally is the difficulty of converting the printed version of the works into digital form. Optical character recognition (OCR), which is the act of using an optical scanning device to generate an image of text that is then converted into characters in a computer-readable format such as an ASCII file, is a known technique for converting printed text into a usable digital form. An OCR system typically includes an optical scanner to generate an image of a printed page, and software to analyze the image. the

Contents of the invention

According to one aspect, a method may include: receiving a search query; performing a first search to identify a document based on the search query; performing a second search based on attributes associated with the document; and presenting results of the second search. the

According to another aspect, a system may include a memory storing instructions and a processor executing the instructions. The system can identify documents, perform searches to identify web documents with information related to attributes associated with the documents, and present information associated with the web documents. the

According to yet another aspect, a graphical user interface embodied in a computer-readable medium can include a set of links to portions of a document, a description of the content of the document, and bibliographic information associated with the document. The graphical user interface may also include links for enabling searches of web documents with information related to attributes associated with the documents. the

According to yet another aspect, a method may include: receiving a document identification from a user; automatically performing a plurality of searches to identify web documents related to attributes associated with the document; and providing information associated with the web documents to the user. the

According to yet another aspect, a computer-readable medium may contain computer-executable instructions including instructions for identifying a document, performing a search to identify web documents with information related to attributes associated with the document documents, instructions for extracting information from the web documents, and instructions for presenting the extracted information and information associated with the documents. the

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description explain the invention. In the attached picture,

Figure 1 is an example diagram of a network in which systems and methods consistent with the principles of the invention may be implemented;

Fig. 2 is an example diagram of the client or server of Fig. 1 according to an implementation in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

3A-3D are flowcharts of example processes for presenting information related to a web document associated with the document, according to certain implementations consistent with the principles of the invention;

4 is an example diagram of a graphical user interface in which information associated with a document may be presented in the form of search results according to an implementation consistent with the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an example diagram showing a reference page associated with a document according to an implementation manner consistent with the principle of the present invention;

6 is an illustration of an exemplary graphical user interface in which information associated with a web document may be presented, according to an implementation consistent with the principles of the invention;

Fig. 7 is according to another implementation mode that accords with the principle of the present invention, cites the example figure of page part;

Fig. 8 is according to another implementation mode consistent with the principles of the present invention, an example diagram of a reference page part;

9 is an illustration of an example graphical user interface in which information associated with a document may be presented as search results, according to an alternative implementation consistent with the principles of the invention; and

10A and 10B are illustrations of graphical user interfaces in which relevant information may be presented, according to two different implementations consistent with the principles of the invention. the

Detailed ways

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. Also, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. the

Overview

More and more types of documents can be searched by search engines. For example, certain documents (such as books, magazines, and/or catalogs) can be scanned and their text can be recognized by OCR. It would be beneficial to learn more about these documents and to make this additional information available to users. the

Systems and methods consistent with the principles of the present invention can automatically search for additional information related to one or more attributes (also referred to as "document attributes") associated with a document and provide the additional information in association with the document. the

Example network configuration

1 is an exemplary diagram of a network 100 in which systems and methods consistent with the principles of the invention may be implemented. The network 100 may include a plurality of clients 110 connected to a plurality of servers 120-140 through a network 150 . For simplicity, two clients 110 and three servers 120-140 are shown connected to network 150. In fact, there can be more or fewer clients and servers. Also, in some instances, a client can perform the functions of a server, and a server can perform the functions of a client. the

Client 110 may include a client entity. An entity may be defined as a device such as a wireless telephone, personal computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), laptop, or other type of computing or communication device, a thread or process running on one of these devices, and/or accessible by An object implemented by one of these devices. Servers 120-140 may include server entities that capture, process, search, and/or store documents in a manner consistent with the principles of the invention. the

In one implementation consistent with the principles of the invention, server 120 may include a search engine 125 that client 110 may use. Server 120 may crawl a corpus of documents (eg, web documents), index the documents, and store information associated with the documents in a document repository. Alternatively or additionally, server 120 may analyze a database (or collection of databases) of documents (eg, books, magazines, newspapers, articles, catalogs, etc.) and store information associated with those documents in the same repository or in a different repository. Servers 130 and 140 may store or hold documents that may be crawled or analyzed by server 120 . the

Although servers 120-140 are shown as separate entities, it is possible for one or more of servers 120-140 to perform one or more functions of another or more of servers 120-140. For example, two or more of servers 120-140 may be implemented as a single server. It is also possible for a single one of servers 120-140 to be implemented as two or more separate (and possibly distributed) devices. the

Network 150 may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a telephone network such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), an intranet, the Internet, a storage device, or a combination of networks. Clients 110 and servers 120-140 may be connected to network 150 via wired, wireless, and/or optical connections. the

As the term is used herein, "document" is broadly construed to include any traditional printed work of authorship, such as books, magazines, catalogs, newspapers, articles, and the like. As the term is used herein, "web document" is broadly construed to include any machine-readable and machine-storable work product available over a network, such as network 150 . For example, a Web document may include a web site, a document, a combination of documents, one or more documents with embedded links to other documents, newsgroup postings, blogs, web advertisements, and the like. In the context of the Internet, typical web documents are web pages. Web pages often include textual information, and may include embedded information (eg, meta information, images, hyperlinks, etc.) and/or embedded instructions (eg, Java script, etc.). As the term is used herein, "link" is broadly construed to include any reference to or from a web document. the

Exemplary Client/Server Architecture

Figure 2 is an illustration of a client or server entity (hereinafter referred to as a "client/server entity") that may correspond to one or more of a client 110 and servers 120-140, according to an implementation consistent with the principles of the invention . The client/server entity may include a bus 210 , a processor 220 , a main memory 230 , a read only memory (ROM) 240 , a storage device 250 , an input device 260 , an output device 270 , and a communication interface 280 . Bus 210 may include paths that allow communication between elements of a client/server entity. the

Processor 220 may include a conventional processor, microprocessor, or processing logic that interprets and executes instructions. Main memory 230 may include random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that may store information and instructions for execution by processor 220 . ROM 240 may include a conventional ROM device or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions used by processor 220 . Storage device 250 may include magnetic and/or optical recording media and their corresponding drives. the

Input device 260 may include conventional mechanisms that allow an operator to enter information into a client/server entity, such as a keyboard, mouse, stylus, voice recognition and/or biometric mechanisms, and the like. Output devices 270 may include conventional mechanisms for outputting information to an operator, including displays, printers, speakers, and the like. Communication interface 280 may include any transceiver-like mechanism that enables a client/server entity to communicate with other devices and/or systems. For example, communication interface 280 may include mechanisms for communicating with other devices or systems over a network, such as network 150 . the

As will be described in detail below, a client/server entity, consistent with the principles of the present invention, may perform specific search-related operations. The client/server entity may perform these operations in response to processor 220 executing software instructions contained in a computer-readable medium, such as memory 230 . A computer-readable medium can be defined as a physical or logical storage device and/or carrier wave. the

Software instructions may be read into memory 230 from other computer-readable media, such as data storage device 250 , or from other devices through communication interface 280 . Software instructions contained in the memory 230 can cause the processor 220 to perform processes that will be described later. Alternatively, hardware circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement processes consistent with the principles of the invention. Thus, implementations consistent with the principles of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. the

Exemplary processing

3A-3D are flowcharts of example processes for presenting information related to a web document related to a document, according to certain implementations consistent with principles of the invention. Processing may begin with a user providing a search term (or set of search terms) as a search query to search a document repository. In one implementation, the document repository includes documents available from the Internet and/or databases (or collections of databases), and the vehicle for searching the repository is a search engine, such as search engine 125 (FIG. 1). A user may provide a search query through a client, such as web browser software on client 110 (FIG. 1). the

A search query may be received by a search engine and used to identify documents (eg, books, magazines, newspapers, articles, catalogs, etc.) relevant to the search query (acts 305 and 310) (FIG. 3A). Based techniques already exist for identifying documents relevant to a search query. One such technique might include identifying documents that contain the search term or synonyms of the search term. When a search query includes more than one search term, then techniques may include identifying documents that contain these search terms as a phrase, or documents that contain these search terms but not necessarily both, or documents that do not contain all of these search terms. Other techniques are also well known to those skilled in the art. the

Optionally, the documents may be scored in some fashion (act 315). For example, the scoring of documents may be based on Information Retrieval (IR) scores. Several techniques already exist for generating IR scores. For example, the IR score of a document may be based on the number of occurrences of the search term in the document text where the search term occurs within the document (e.g., in the title, body, footer, header, etc.), or on the occurrence characteristics of the search term (e.g., font , size, color, etc.) to generate. Other techniques are also well known to those skilled in the art. the

Search results may be formed based on the documents and their optional scores and presented to the user (act 320). In one implementation, search results can include information associated with documents, such as links to documents, which can optionally be sorted based on document scores. Search results may be provided as HTML documents similar to those provided by conventional search engines. Alternatively, search results may be provided according to other formats agreed upon by the search engine and the client, such as Extensible Markup Language (XML). the

4 is an illustration of an example graphical user interface in which information associated with a document may be presented in the form of search results 400, according to one implementation consistent with the principles of the invention. As shown in FIG. 4, search results 400 may include document title 410, author information 420, excerpt 430 from the document, and optionally links 440 to other related excerpts in the document. Assume that for this example, and those that follow, the user has performed a search for documents related to the search term "military" and the resulting one document includes "9/11 Report". the

Document title 410 may include a title associated with the document. Selection of a document title 410 may cause detailed information associated with the document to be presented, most likely in the form of referenced pages (described below). Author information 420 may include the name of the author of the document. Snippet 430 may include the portion of the document that includes the search terms of the search query. The occurrence of the search term may be visually discerned (eg, highlighted) within snippet 430 . Link 440 may allow one or more other snippets from the document containing the search term to be presented to the user. the

Returning to Figure 3A, the user may select a document in the search results (act 325). A variety of known techniques can be used for selection. For example, selection may be made by clicking, mousehover, mouseover, keystroke, and the like. In one implementation, document selection may include selection of a link associated with the document, such as selection of document title 410 shown in FIG. 4 . the

In one implementation consistent with the principles of the invention, detailed information about a document, possibly in the form of a referenced page, may be presented to a user in response to user selection of the document (act 330) (FIG. 3B). FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram of a reference page 500 associated with a document according to an implementation consistent with the principles of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, a reference page 500 may include an excerpt 510 from the document, a synopsis 520 about the document, a jacket or flap description 530 associated with the document, related information 540, bibliographic information 550, and a set of links 560 to different parts of the document. In other implementations, reference page 500 may include more, fewer, or different types of information. the

Snippets 510 may include portions of text from the document that may include search terms of a search query. The text portion may correspond to an image or a text version of the document text. The presence of a search term can be visually discerned (eg, highlighted) within the text portion. Summary 520 may include a short description of the content of the document. Cover or cover flap instructions 530 may include text from a cover, cover, or cover flap associated with the document. the

Bibliographic information 510 may include information such as ISBN, ISSN, publisher name, category code identifying the category of the subject content of the document, and/or publication date. In other implementations, bibliographic information 550 may include more, fewer, or different pieces of information. Links 560 may include links to various parts of the document. For example, these links can refer to the document's front cover, table of contents, related excerpts, index, and/or back cover. Selection of one of these links may cause an image of the corresponding document section to be rendered. the

Related information 540 may include various types of information related to documents that a user may find useful. This information can be obtained by performing searches related to document attributes (eg, title, author, publisher, publication date, etc.) to identify relevant web documents. the

Examples of information that may be obtained by searching may include information associated with comments on a document, information associated with a topic of a document, information associated with a subject or category of a document, information associated with books in the same series as the document, information in the same journal as the document Information associated with a magazine issue, information associated with an article in the same journal as the document from the same conference or in the same journal as the document, information associated with a news article, blog, or other type of reference to the document or document author's postings, information associated with products associated with the document or the topic of the document, information associated with the document's publisher, information associated with the publication date associated with the document, information associated with the author's biography information, information associated with web documents related to the author (such as the author's web page), information associated with the author's image, and/or information associated with other documents of the same author. the

In one implementation, related information 540 may include a list of links associated with one or more document properties. As shown in Figure 5, two exemplary links 542 and 544 are shown. In fact, there can be additional links. Selection of one of these links may cause a search to be performed related to a particular document property. For example, selection of a link 544 associated with an author's biography may cause a search to be performed to identify web documents that include information related to the document's author's biography. Techniques for forming search queries related to various topics are well known in the art. the

Related information 540 optionally also includes a set of advertisements 547 related to one or more document attributes. For example, an advertisement may be provided for sale of the document, a portion of the document, other documents related to the author, or other documents on the same topic as the document. Ad set 547 may also or alternatively be related to or derived from other information, such as a search query term, another (eg, related) document, or user behavior (eg, search or viewing history). the

Returning to Figure 3B, a determination may be made as to whether information related to document attributes is required (act 335). For example, it may be determined whether the user has selected a link or advertisement associated with related information 540 . If information related to document properties is desired, a search related to document properties may be performed to identify related web documents (act 340). For example, if a user wants information about document reviews, a search can be performed using, for example, a word or words associated with the document title or author name, and words like "comment" or "comments" as a search query. Techniques similar to those described above can be used to identify web documents relevant to a search query. the

Web documents can be scored arbitrarily based on IR scores and/or link-based scores. Several techniques for generating IR and link-based scores already exist. An exemplary technique for generating an IR score might be based on the number of occurrences of the search term in the document. Techniques for generating link-based scores are described in US Patent No. 6,285,999. Other techniques are also well known to those skilled in the art. the

In another implementation, all links associated with related information 540 may be searched as a background task. In other words, for the different types of information associated with related information 540, related web documents can be identified, and these related web documents can be cached for later presentation to the user when the user indicates that the information is needed . the

Search results may be formed based on the web documents and their optional scores and presented to the user (act 345). In one implementation, the search results can include information associated with web documents, such as links to web documents, which can be arbitrarily categorized based on web document scores. Search results may be provided as HTML documents similar to those provided by conventional search engines. Alternatively, the search results may be provided according to a format agreed upon by the search engine and the client, such as XML. the

Fig. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary graphical user interface in which associated information may be presented, according to an implementation consistent with the principles of the invention. In this exemplary implementation, it is assumed that the user requests additional information related to the document review by selecting a corresponding link associated with related information 540 . In this case, a search can be performed to identify web documents with comments on that document. For example, words such as a word or words associated with a document title such as "9/11 Report" or an author's name, and words like "comment" or "multiple comments" (or likely to identify words with A search query of words that the document reviews (other search terms for web documents) can be used to identify related web documents. the

A set of search results, two examples of which are illustrated in Figure 6, may be presented to the user. In FIG. 6, exemplary search results correspond to Book Review - 9/11 Report (9/11 Report). For example, search results 600 may include web document identifier 610, excerpt 620 from the web document, and other information 630 associated with the web document. Identifier 610 may identify the web document. Selection of identifier 610 may cause the web document to be rendered. Snippets 620 can include portions of the web document that can include search terms of a search query. The occurrence of the search term can be visually discerned (eg, highlighted) in snippet 620 . Other information 630 may include the address of the web document, the size of the web document, a date associated with the web document, or other information associated with the web document. the

In another implementation consistent with the principles of the invention, the search may be performed in response to a user selecting a document among the search results (act 325) (FIG. 3A). In such an implementation, a search related to one or more document attributes can be performed to identify related web documents (act 350) (FIG. 3C). For example, search queries can be formed for different document attributes, and searches can be performed to identify related web documents. Techniques similar to those described above can be used to identify and possibly score web documents that are relevant to a search query. the

Detailed information about the document (comprising information about related web documents) is likely to be presented to the user in the form of a reference page (action 355). In one implementation, the reference page may be similar to reference page 500 described above with respect to FIG. 5 . In such an implementation, however, links associated with related information 540 may be replaced or supplemented with information associated with related web documents. the

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a reference page section 700 according to another implementation consistent with the principles of the invention. In this implementation, a set of search results related to one or more document properties may be presented to the user. As shown in FIG. 7 , two exemplary search results are presented corresponding to document reviews 542 . As also shown in Figure 7, links may be provided for additional search results. the

For example, search results 710 may include a web document source 712, an excerpt 714 from the web document, and other information 716 associated with the web document. Source 712 may include the source of the web document. Selection of a source 712 may cause a corresponding web document to be rendered. Snippets 714 may include portions of web documents that may include search terms of a search query. The occurrence of the search term can be visually discerned (eg, highlighted) in snippet 714 . Other information 716 may include the address of the web document, the size of the web document, the date associated with the web document, or other information associated with the web document. the

In another implementation consistent with the principles of the invention, the search may be performed in response to a user selecting a document among the search results (act 325) (FIG. 3A). In such an implementation, a search related to one or more document attributes can be performed to identify related web documents (act 360) (FIG. 3D). For example, search queries can be formed for different document attributes, and searches can be performed to identify related web documents. Techniques similar to those described above can be used to identify and possibly score web documents that are relevant to a search query. the

Information can be extracted from related web documents (act 365). A page, possibly in the form of a reference page, can be created based on the extracted information, and the page can be presented to the user (acts 370 and 375). In one implementation, the reference page may be similar to reference page 500 described above with respect to FIG. 5 . In such an implementation, however, links associated with related information 540 may be replaced or supplemented with information extracted from related web documents. the

FIG. 8 is an example diagram of a reference page portion 800 according to yet another implementation consistent with the principles of the invention. In this implementation, for each type of related information 540, information can be extracted from web documents corresponding to a set of search results and presented to the user. Certain types of information extracted from search results may include any information a user may find useful. the

As shown in FIG. 8, information extracted from two exemplary search results about document reviews is presented. For example, information 810 may include information sources 812 , optional user ratings 814 , reviews 816 , and other information 818 . Source 812 may include the source of the information (eg, Amazon.com). Selection of a source 812 may cause web documents from that source to be rendered. User ratings 814 may include ratings of the document by users of source 812 (eg, Amazon.com). Reviews 816 may include document reviews (or portions of reviews) provided by source 812 (eg, Amazon.com). Other information 818 may include the address of the web document, the size of the web document, the date associated with the web document, or other information associated with the web document. the

Alternative GUI

In an alternative implementation consistent with the principles of the invention, information may be presented with respect to documents similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 4 . In this case, however, additional links may be provided for related information, similar to related information 540 (FIG. 5). FIG. 9 is an illustration of an example graphical user interface in which information associated with a document may be presented in the form of search results 900 according to this alternative implementation consistent with the principles of the invention. As shown in FIG. 9, search results 900 may include document title 410, author information 420, excerpt 430 from the document, optional links 440 to other related excerpts in the document, and links 910 to related information. Document title 410, author information 420, excerpt 430, optional link 440 may be similar to those described above with respect to FIG. the

Link 910 may cause related information to be presented. 10A and 10B are illustrations of graphical user interfaces in which relevant information may be presented, according to two different implementations consistent with the principles of the invention. As shown in FIG. 10A, selection of link 910 may result in a set of links being provided that may be arbitrarily separated based on the different types of document attributes with which they are associated. As noted above, selection of a link in the set of links may cause a search to be performed and results presented. the

As shown in FIG. 10B , selection of links 910 may cause a search to be performed and results presented with respect to the different types of document attributes with which they are associated. In one implementation, a set of search results (similar to Figure 7) may be provided. As noted above, selection of one of these search results may cause the corresponding web document to be presented. In another implementation, information extracted from a web document(s) corresponding to a set of search results may be provided (similar to FIG. 8). the

in conclusion

Systems and methods consistent with the principles of the present invention can search for additional information related to one or more document attributes and provide the additional information in association with the document. the

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of this invention has provided illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Various modifications and variations can be made in light of the above teachings, or can be acquired from practice of the invention. the

For example, while a series of acts have been described with respect to FIGS. 3A-3D , the order of these acts may be modified in other implementations consistent with the principles of the invention. Furthermore, actions that do not depend on each other can also be performed in parallel. the

It has been described that a document is identified as a search result, and web documents related to that document or document author can be presented. However, in other implementations, documents may be identified in other ways, such as by categories, categories, or other document listings. the

Likewise, exemplary graphical user interfaces have been described with respect to Figures 4-10B. In other implementations consistent with the principles of the invention, the graphical user interface may include more, fewer, or different pieces of information. the

As noted above, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that these aspects of the invention can be implemented in many different forms of software, hardware and firmware in the implementations shown in the figures. The actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement aspects consistent with the principles of the invention is not limiting of the invention. Thus, the operation and performance of these aspects are not described with reference to specific software code - it is understood that one of ordinary skill in the art can, based on the description herein, design software and control hardware to implement these aspects. the

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article "a" is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term "one" or similar language is used. Furthermore, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on" unless expressly stated otherwise. the

Claims (16)

1. A method for identifying a web document comprising: receiving a search query from a client device over a network; performing a first search based on the search query to identify a set of search results; presenting the set of search results for display on the client device; receiving a selection of one of the set of search results from the client device; presenting for display on the client device a reference page associated with a scanned document associated with the selected one of the set of search results, the reference page including information about the scanned information on documents and links associated with searches; receiving a selection of the link from the client device; In response to receiving a selection of the link, performing a second search to identify a web document based on attributes associated with the scanned document; and Results of the second search are presented for display on the client device. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the results of the second search comprises: identifies the web document associated with the property, extract information from the web document, and The extracted information is presented for display on the client device. 3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of presenting the results of the second search comprises: generating a score for said web document based on an information retrieval score and/or a link-based score, classifying the web document based on the score, and The categorized web documents are presented for display on the client device. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of generating a score for the web document comprises: generating an information retrieval score for said web document, generating a link-based score for said web document, and Based on the information retrieval score and the link-based score, an overall score for the web document is generated. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the referenced page further comprises at least one of the following: A description of the content of the scanned document, the text associated with one of the cover, cover, or cover flap associated with the scanned document, bibliographic information associated with the scanned document, or advertise. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the referring page further comprises: an excerpt from that scanned document, and A set of links to various parts of the scanned document. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the extract comprises an image of a portion of text from the scanned document. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of links references at least one of: the cover page associated with the scanned document, a table of contents associated with the scanned document, the index associated with the scanned document, or The back cover associated with this scanned document. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the results of the second search comprises: A reference page associated with one of the web documents is presented, the reference page including a link to a second web document with information related to the attribute. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the link is generated by performing a second search. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the referenced page further comprises at least one of: a description of the content of said one web document, text associated with one of the cover, cover or cover flap associated with said one web document, bibliographic information associated with said one web document, or advertise. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein said referring page further comprises: an excerpt from said one web document, and A set of links to parts of said one web document. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the advertisement is related to or derived from at least one of a search query, the one web document, or user behavior. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the results of the second search comprises: A reference page associated with one of the web documents is presented, the reference page containing information extracted from the web document with information associated with the attribute. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute corresponds to at least one of a title, author, category, publisher, or publication date associated with the scanned document. 16. A system for identifying web documents comprising: means for identifying a set of search results, means for receiving a selection of one of the set of search results from a client device, means for presenting to said client device a reference page associated with a scanned document associated with said selected one of said set of search results, said reference page comprising the link to, means for receiving a selection of the link from the client device, means for performing a search to identify web documents with information related to attributes associated with the scanned document in response to receiving a selection of the link, and means for presenting information associated with the web document for display on said client device.

Images